Middlesbrough confirm signing of young Chelsea midfielder

Chelsea midfielder Nathaniel Chalobah will spend the rest of the season at Middlesbrough, the Championship club have confirmed.

The 19-year-old is rated as a potential star of the future by the Stamford Bridge club, and he will still have four years on his contract at the end of the current campaign. But with his first team chances limited in Jose Mourinho’s star-studded side, the Blues are keen for him to get as much first team experience with loan spells elsewhere.

Last season Chalobah made 38 appearances for Watford, scoring five goals, and he scored twice in 12 matches for Nottingham Forest this term. His spell at the City Ground expired on Wednesday, but he has now returned to the second-tier after Middlesbrough confirmed on Thursday they had concluded a deal with the Premier League side.

The England Under-21 international, who has collected a dozen caps at this level since making his debut in 2012, will see out the season at the Riverside Stadium. He has signed in time to go straight into Aitor Karanka’s squad for the forthcoming Championship clash on Saturday afternoon, when Charlton Athletic visit Teesside.

Boro, who sacked Tony Mowbray earlier this season, are bubbling along nicely under their Spanish coach. Unbeaten in the five league matches since the 1-0 reverse against Brighton & Hove Albion over a month ago, they currently site 13th in the standings, yet they are just six points off a playoff position with 21 fixtures still to fulfil.